After just a few weeks of practice, many first graders are finishing their word rings - wow!  However, the fun isn't over yet!  Knowing sight words is incredibly important for reading development and it is absolutely imperative that your first grader continues to practice these words, even after the word ring is mastered.  

For a handy reference, all 100 first grade sight words (from our spelling curriculum) are listed in a 1-page printable document on the "parent resources" page of this website. This would be great to stick on the fridge!

Many students can read their sight words quickly and in isolation, so now it's time to take it up a notch!  At home, feel free to add in some of the following ideas to spice up your nightly sight word practice:

- Choose 5-10 words at a time to have your child write in different ways (rainbow style with crayons or markers, with chalk, with finger paint, in shaving cream, in sugar on a cookie sheet, etc)
- Have your child choose 5-10 words to practice using/writing in sentences
- Choose 3 words at a time and challenge your child to use all 3 in the same sentence then write and illustrate it
- Choose 5 words at a time and have your child search for them in books, magazines, and around the house
- Write some of the words on notecards (2 times each) and play memory with them
- Read a word and have your child spell it orally, OR spell a word orally and have your child tell you the word

If your child has easy access to a computer, you can also use the resource below! 

I have entered all 100 first grade sight words (from our spelling curriculum) into the flash card maker below.  Your child can practice these words in a variety of ways by selecting the options listed under "choose a study mode" in the bottom right corner:

Scatter: A random assortment of the words will appear.  Have your child drag the matching words onto each other to make them disappear.  This is a timed game and it's fun to try and beat your previous records!

Learn: This option is great for typing (it's never too early to start practicing!).  One word will
appear at a time and your child can type it into the box and hit enter to check it and go on to the next word.

Flashcards: This will run through all of the words one at a time, just like on the word ring.  You can click the arrows in the top left corner to shuffle the cards (I highly recommend doing this each time!) and the speaker icon to enable audio (it will read each word aloud).  You do not need to check either of the "term first" or "both sides" boxes.  Use the forward arrow button to advance to the next word.

Speller: This is my favorite!  It will read one word at a time and your child can either spell it
out loud or write it for you to type, or he/she can type it in.  If the word is entered incorrectly, it will spell the word letter-by-letter and will read the correction before prompting your child to "try again for practice."

The flashcard games can be accessed through this post on a computer, or through the Quizlet or Flashcardlet apps for an iPad or smart phone.  As always, please contact me if you have any questions or run into any problems; I would be more than happy to walk you through getting this set up.  These are fabulous resources, but they can be a bit overwhelming at first glance!  We will begin using these games/apps in class (on the smart board and iPad) this week, so your child will be ready to start trying them at home soon!  Have fun!

*Details for the apps: "Flashcardlet" is the most user-friendly and will allow you to import the list from Quizlet (just search for "Sitton 100 Sight Words;" my list will appear and you can add it to your library).  You will be able to star, check off, and filter the words based on which ones your student knows or needs more practice with. 



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